


After School

by Vacilace



Category: Vocaloid
Genre: Best Friends, Comedy, Falling In Love, First Meetings, Friendship, High School, Humor, Love, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-27
Updated: 2020-05-27
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:03:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24400987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vacilace/pseuds/Vacilace
Summary: Len won't take any steps forward in his love life, so Fukase gives him a little push.A VOCALOID fanfiction.
Relationships: Kagamine Len/OLIVER
Comments: 6
Kudos: 17





	After School

"Thanks again for staying after." Len flicked on the lights of the after school workroom as the pair entered.

"Not at all," Fukase said. He hung his backpack on a chair and took a hacky sack from his jacket pocket. "I'll use these brownie points to make you buy me a grape soda later."

"Grape soda?" Len shook his head and opened his backpack on the table. "You're gross. That stuff tastes like cough syrup."

Fukase jutted an accusing finger in Len's direction. "Don't diss the love of my life bro. Not cool." He began throwing his hacky sack in the air and catching it. "In other news, I convinced a friend of mine to help out too. You could use an extra pair of hands."

"Cuz you're not gonna help at all, are you?"

"I'm above plebeian work."

"Yeah right," Len huffed. "No brownie points for you. Is your friend someone I know?"

"Nah, he's from my AP class," said Fukase. "His name's Oliver. I asked him because he's, like, super responsible and mature and stuff. This'll be done in no time with his help." A mischievous look came over his face. "Also, he's a huge cutie, so you should definitely ask for his number."

"Fukase!" Len exclaimed with a frown. "I'm not gonna ask just anyone for their number. Going out with a complete stranger isn't fun."

"What's this about strangers?" Fukase put his hand to his ear in a patronizing motion. "Is that hypocrisy I hear? What about Book Boy? Weren't you crushing pretty hard on him?" Fukase slung his hacky sack at Len, who caught it and threw it back defensively.

"That's not what I— I am going to talk to him," Len lied as he took the posters out of his bag. "I just haven't found the right moment."

"Sure you are." Len was like a sheet of glass to Fukase. "You should be grateful that I'm taking initiative here. All you do is sit in the library and watch him read. You haven't talked to him once, and you don't even know his name."

"There's a big difference between a crush and a _crush_ crush."

Fukase rolled his hacky sack between his palms and raised an eyebrow.

"I admit it, I don't know anything about Book Boy." Len sighed. "But this way he can be anything in my mind. Haven't you ever made up conversations in your head? Maybe I don't want to talk to him. Maybe I think it's better to daydream about a blank slate than a person I actually know."

_Is it so bad I want just to admire him from afar?_ thought Len. _I feel like if I actually met him, I would have no idea how to act. I've imagined our meeting too many times. He doesn't even seem like a real person anymore._

Fukase stared at him. "You're boring."

"Fukase—"

"Boring," Fukase whined. "You're stuck in your head and it's so boring!"

"We need to get started, Fu, are you gonna help or what?"

"To be honest," Fukase said with a glint in his eye, "I would interfere less with your life if you took initiative of any sort in socializing." He held up his hand and pointed to the upper half of his palm. "I bet your love line curves down."

"My love line?" Len held up his own hand to inspect it. "Which one is that?"

"Don't ask me." Fukase almost looked offended. "Do I look like I know anything about palmistry?"

"But, you just—"

"You were complaining nonstop the other day about how you wanted a boyfriend," Fukase interrupted. "I'm 90% sure Oliver bats for both teams. Trust me. My gaydar is infallible."

"If it's infallible, why are you only 90% sure?"

Fukase ignored his comment. "Go for it. I don't want to hear you whining anymore about the single tragedy that is your life."

"Hey!"

There was a soft knock on the door and it opened. Fukase shoved his hacky sack in his pocket as a boy wearing the school cardigan poked his head into the room. He wore a pair of thick glasses with a white patch fixed underneath the left lens. His visible eye was round and bright.

Len felt like someone had given him a winning lottery ticket and plunged his body into quicksand. His day simultaneously became a hundred times better and a hundred times worse. _Fukase, you dirty rotten lying guttersnipe! You said I didn't know him!_

"Sorry I'm late," the newcomer said, shutting the door behind him. "You still need help, right?"

"Yeah, yeah!" Fukase beckoned him over. "In fact, we haven't started yet. Take a seat, Ollie."

Oliver gently put down his bag. Next to Fukase, he looked as different as different could get. Where Fukase was lanky and slouching with thick, dark red curls, Oliver stood shorter with ruler-straight posture and feathery light blond hair. He smiled a bright greeting at Len, and it was like an angel had descended from heaven to light the room.

Len basked in the glow. _Ah, well, I guess I can forgive you, Fu._

Though this much Book Boy in close proximity was probably lethal. There was a reason Len never got too close. This boy practically radiated the vibes Len only encountered in his dreams, and shone like a clean white surface hit directly by the sun.

"Thanks for staying late," Len managed, blinking furiously. "I'm Len." He couldn't believe how casual the words came out when his insides were doing a sock hop under his skin.

"And the reason we're all gathered here today," Fukase added, then pointed at the glowing Book Boy. "Len, this is Oliver."

"It's nice to meet you." Oliver nodded politely. "Where should we start?"

"Well, um," Len began, squinting in the light. He grabbed the top poster from the stack to point out the mistake. "I accidentally printed the wrong dates on these posters for the dance. Since I can't reprint them, we're gonna cover them up with stickers instead."

"You're on the school dance committee?" Oliver asked in an awed tone. "That's a huge responsibility, you must be busy all the time. Being able to make a commitment like that—that's so cool."

_What?!_ Len screeched in his head _. It's unfair how nice you are!_ _You're nicer than any of my daydreams predicted. This is so unfair!_

"I would absolutely hate a job like that," Fukase said, seemingly holding back a laugh for a reason Len couldn't figure out.

"I'm actually not on the committee," Len said when he regained his voice. "That's more of my sister's thing. She volunteered me to make the posters." He fiddled with the corner of the poster in his grip. "Graphic design is more my alley."

"You designed these?" Oliver took a closer look. "That's even cooler."

Len thought he was about to go blind by how near Book Boy was. Why was he so freaking bright? What was the matter with Len? Why couldn't he look directly at this person?

"Wait a second, I gotta go." Fukase jumped up and grabbed his backpack, checking a nonexistent watch on his wrist. "I forgot I have to pick something up from the library for my sister, but they close early on Fridays. I better head out now so I don't get yelled at."

_So you don't get yelled at?_ Len thought, exasperated. _I'm about to yell at you right now! Don't leave me in such an awkward situation. I'm only barely not making a fool of myself because you're here!_

"You're a flaker," he said aloud. "A self-absorbed flaker."

"Also, Len." Fukase paused at the door. "You still owe me that grape soda."

"What for?" Len exclaimed. "You didn't help at all."

"You know what it's for," Fukase said with a wink. "Don't disappoint me. I'll see you later." He waved as he left.

_Traitor!_

Oliver waved back. "Bye bye."

Huh? Len glanced at Oliver, who took a seat at the table, seemingly oblivious to what he had just said. That blinding light had suddenly become a little more bearable.

"Wait." Len found himself grinning. "You say 'bye bye' to people?"

"I do?" Oliver asked. "I probably picked that up from my mom, she's a preschool teacher." He shrugged and rubbed the back of his neck. "Is it weird?"

"No, no! It's cute." Len waved his hand. Some of his nervousness evaporated the moment Oliver shared something about himself. "It reminds me of my little cousin. Fukase said you're a really mature person, so I wasn't expecting that."

"A mature person, huh?" Oliver chuckled. "To him, I guess a base level of common sense is enough to be labeled maturity."

"You know what? You're totally right."

"Want to get started?" Oliver uncapped the pen Len had left on the table. "I guess I could write the correct date on the labels, and you can put them on the posters?"

"Sounds good," said Len. He was lit up inside at how well he was handling the situation. The only other emotion he could compare it to was the feeling he got in seventh grade when he caught a thrown pencil from across the room with one hand and everybody oohed at his awesome skills.

"Then let's get to work." Oliver playfully flexed his arm. "Don't worry, I write fast."

Len laughed as it became easier to see through Oliver's brilliant glow. "Great!"

He wrote out the first date and Oliver set to copying it onto the sheets of blank stickers. They worked in silence for a couple minutes, during which Len's chill game was a sight to behold.

On the outside, Len could be mistaken for the world's calmest person. On the inside, he scrabbled and writhed around, grasping and throwing down straws, frantically searching for a good conversation topic. If he asked Oliver about the book he was reading, would he suspect that Len had been basically stalking him the past few weeks in the school library? No, that was a leap even Fukase wouldn't take. Diving in was the only option. Words would come if he opened his mouth, he had to believe it.

"Hey, Oliver?" he tried as he peeled the backing off another sticker.

"Yes?" Oliver continued to write.

"I was wondering..."

"What is it?" Oliver asked.

"Well, me and Fukase were talking about something before he left, and, uh..." Len trailed off.

Was he really going to straight up ask this guy he had just met if he liked boys? Seriously? Was he really that insensitive?

"You know what? Never mind." _Just breathing the same air as you is good enough for me._

Oliver stopped writing at that. He glanced up with an understanding look. "It's fine. I know what you were going to say, and it's okay to ask about it. It's not a big deal."

"Really?" Len stammered. How could he have known? Nothing in their conversation even hinted at what was actually going on in Len's head. A million thoughts ran through his mind, and for a split second he entertained the notion that telepathy was real before Oliver spoke again.

"You were wondering about my eye patch," he said.

"Huh?" Len started. _Praise the stars!_ "No, that wasn't it."

Oliver raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Yeah, I was thinking of something else completely."

"That's a first," Oliver mumbled, his tone almost intrigued. "You're not even curious?"

"No, not really."

Oliver hummed a response and went back to writing, looking somewhat pleased.

Len thought for a moment. _Well, now that you've mentioned it, of course I'm curious!_

"Actually, I was wondering something too," Oliver said, straightening in his seat.

"Yeah?"

"That pin on your backpack." Oliver pointed. "It's a pride pin, right?"

Len's brain might've experienced whiplash because of how fast he switched to autopilot mode. His mouth said, "Yeah, it is. You recognized it?" while his actual consciousness retreated to a private room in the back of his head where it devolved into incoherent screaming, beating its chest, and pulling the strings on imaginary party poppers.

"Well, yes, I mean." Oliver put a finger to his lips. "I thought it's kinda funny."

Len's party halted as he felt a prickle of sweat on the back of his neck. "Funny good or funny bad?"

"I have the same one."

"Huh?" Len's head and heart promptly exploded in perfect sync.

"It broke the other day, so I put it in my bag." Oliver rummaged in his backpack and pulled something out. He showed it to Len. "Isn't that funny? We both bought the same pin."

Len gaped. Oliver held a duplicate of his own pin. A hard enamel heart with a rainbow inside it. He stared at it.

_AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA_

"You know how I said Fukase and I were talking earlier?" Len asked casually.

Oliver nodded.

"He mentioned you were bi."

"He did?" Oliver tilted his head. "I've never really spoken to him about that though. We're not that close. We just sit next to each other in History."

Len blinked. "So, you _are_ bi?" _I don't believe it I have a chance I don't believe it I HAVE A CHANCE!_

"No, I only like boys." Oliver looked at the ceiling. "I wonder why he said that?"

_AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA_

_He said he likes boys. I don't believe it! We have that much more in common!_ Len couldn't help but make a triumphant fist underneath the table as he set off fireworks inside his head. Then an equally great thought struck him. _And Fukase was wrong!!_

"The thing is, Fukase thinks his gaydar's infallible," Len explained, trying unsuccessfully to control his tone. "I can't wait to shove this in his face the next time I see him." Another sudden thought appeared. "I mean, only if you're okay with it. I don't wanna out you or anything."

"It's fine. I don't care if people know I'm gay. If I did, I probably wouldn't have bought this pin for my bag."

"That's so true," Len breathed. Oliver's light was blazing at a tolerable level for the first time since he had walked into the room.

"Maybe I'm just hoping some cute guy would notice it and ask for my number, or, ha..." Oliver stumbled over his words, probably not meaning to overshare. He brushed at his bangs as he stopped his words short with a quiet, "You know?"

"Yeah, I do," Len said, and gushed, "I actually had the exact same thought once. Or twice."

Oliver glanced at him, and their gazes met for an instant. Len's heart forgot how to pump. He could see through Oliver's blazing light at last and stared unabashedly.

It was quite obvious that they both were trying to figure out what the other was thinking in that moment. Oliver's shy smile made Len's fingers falter with his current sticker and he placed it crooked on a poster. He cursed, his attention torn away, and started futilely scratching at the sticker's edges.

"We've got more in common than I thought," Oliver mumbled, returning to his work as well. "I'm glad I let Fukase talk me into this."

Len chomped on his tongue, swallowed down his insecurities, and shot his shot. "Maybe we should exchange numbers. So I can try talking you into it again."

Oliver didn't respond for a moment, and a blush crept across Len's cheeks.

Suddenly Oliver covered his mouth and asked, "Are you saying you mess up posters that often?"

Len winced and his blush spread like fire. "No! I mean, I—"

Oliver dropped his hand, revealing a bright, tricksy smile. "I'm joking! I'd love to."

Len let himself laugh, feeling the tension leave his shoulders. He pulled out his phone and Oliver held out his hand.

"Here. I'll type it in."

"OK! Me too."

Len swapped his smartphone for Oliver's flip phone.

He couldn't stop his leg from bouncing with giddiness as he carefully typed in his name and phone number, checking it over four times for mistakes. His excitement refused to let him sit still.

They exchanged phones again, and Len almost shouted with joy when he saw Oliver had not only entered in his number, but took a selfie for a contact picture as well.

_I'm so freaking happy! Thank you Fukase my man, you're a godsend of a friend! I'm totally buying you that disgusting grape soda! You can count on me!_

They got back to work, and talked all the while. Len smiled so much his face began to hurt. He learned that Oliver took piano lessons & hated them, was looking forward to the newest superhero movie, and thought graphic design was pretty cool too. He even found out the title of the book Oliver was reading. Len also got to tell the funny story he'd been holding onto about the city park goose. Oliver laughed at the ending, and Len thought he had never heard a more beautiful sound.

He could finally look at Oliver without being blinded by his own preconceptions. Oliver wasn't the glistening, perfect Book Boy from Len's daydreamed pedestal anymore. He was just Oliver. It felt better than all the daydreams Len had constructed combined.

Maybe Len was still in math class and had never woken up from his unscheduled power nap. He pinched his arm when Oliver wasn't looking.

"And that's the last one." Oliver clicked his pen and pushed up his glasses. So he wasn't lying when he said he was a fast writer. He had finished writing the correct date on the final sticker and Len still had a sizable stack of posters he needed to fix.

"Let me help you finish." Oliver reached for one.

"No, no, you go on ahead," Len said, gesturing. "I'll clean up here."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course!" _If he leaves first, I can text him right when I'm done with some funny one-liner._

"Okay then." Oliver stood and grabbed his bag. "See you later." He made his way to the door.

_Hold on, he didn't say it,_ thought Len. _I hope he didn't think I was making fun of him earlier._ He wanted to hear it again at least once, so he wiggled his fingers in a tiny wave and said it himself. "Bye bye, Oliver!"

Oliver waved back, then added with a bashful grin, "Len. Bye bye."

Len felt a rush of happiness as he watched Oliver close the room's door on his way out. There was a light, fluffy feeling in his heart as he got ready to finish his work.

Then the feeling disappeared.

Len sat there in silence for a moment. He dropped the poster in his hands and tapped an uneven rhythm out on the table. He looked at the closed door, then at the unfixed posters. He looked at the door, then the posters.

_I don't want to text you._

Now, everyone comes to a moment in their life at least once where they can either shut down and mourn all that could've been and never was, or look past potential to see the present exactly as it is. Len Kagamine was facing an instant like this as he sat alone in the workroom. He didn't need to decide. His heart seized the wheel and plowed forward with no regard for anything but the moment. It didn't matter how he came across to this person, if only he could be in his presence for more than a passing heartbeat.

**_I wanna be by your side—!_ **

He dumped the unused stickers into his backpack and swept up the posters. Swinging his bag onto his shoulder, he dashed out of the room and down the hall and around the corner at a full sprint.

There he was!

"Oliver!" Len shouted.

"Yes?" Oliver turned at the sound of his name, looking equally surprised and delighted.

"Do you..." Len took a second to catch his breath. "Do you wanna walk home together? With me?"

Oliver beamed, a sight that sent Len straight to cloud nine. "Why not?"

Fukase had one thing right. This boy really was a cutie.   
  



End file.
